Chapter 126: Directly Breaking Through

High above the sea of clouds, Su Qinian and Liu Yuanqing, who had been keeping watch over Luoxia Peak, suddenly opened their eyes.

Liu Yuanqing’s gaze gleamed with a faint green light as he checked the formation’s operational status. He turned to Su Qinian and said, "It’s about time. The first phase of Spiritual Purification should be ending. Call Yue Qianchi to help bring her out."

"Why Yue Qianchi? Can’t we do it?" Su Qinian asked, confused.

After all, both of them were Nascent Soul cultivators.

If something went wrong, wouldn’t they be more reliable than a mere Golden Core cultivator?

"You know nothing, you old fool!"

"The inside of the cauldron is blazing hot—all clothing is burned away. Do you really think it’s appropriate for two old men like us to be looking at that?"

"…Damn. Yeah, that’s a fair point."

But before he could—

The sky above Luoxia Peak suddenly changed.

A thunderous boom shook the heavens.

A massive hand, formed entirely of Spiritual Qi, emerged from the swirling clouds, its fingers grasping the formation barrier atop Luoxia Peak.

Liu Yuanqing: "!!!"

Su Qinian: "!!!"

"This aura… it’s Li Qingran’s master!"

Su Qinian’s face turned ashen, his voice trembling slightly.

"Old Liu… Are you sure your formation can hold up? If that guy finds out what Li Qingran is going through, we’ll be lucky if we’re only skinned alive!"

"It… it should be fine."

Liu Yuanqing was also shaken, but he forced himself to sound calm.

"Relax. This formation was famous even in the Zhenwu Holy Land!"

"Oh yeah? How so?"

"Well… There was this female elder who asked me to set up a secluded barrier.

I thought she was using it for cultivation, but turns out she was sneaking around with another elder.

When her husband found out, he blasted the formation for half a day, but still couldn’t break in."

Su Qinian: "…You absolute bastard."

"Hey, that was a long time ago!"

But as the formation barrier creaked ominously, Liu Yuanqing’s voice grew unsteady.

"Quick! Help reinforce the array! It’s not gonna hold—!"

The next second—

A shattering explosion echoed across Luoxia Peak.

Dozens of overlapping formations collapsed under the Qi-formed giant hand, their combined shockwave powerful enough to flatten the mountain.

Yet before it could spread, the hand simply squeezed—

And the explosive energy was instantly crushed, refined, and absorbed.

Su Qinian and Liu Yuanqing were blown back over a thousand meters, landing in the distant clouds.

For a moment, neither of them dared to move.

Below, all that remained on Luoxia Peak was the enormous cauldron.

Though no figure had appeared, an invisible pressure now loomed over the entire mountain peak.

The disciples of Sword Pavilion stood frozen, too terrified to even lift their heads.

Even though the aura wasn’t hostile, it was so overwhelming that their bodies instinctively submitted.

All they could do was stare at the ground in absolute silence.

—

Chen Huai’an was furious.

Sure, he had just seen Li Qingran’s naked body.

But he was still furious.

There was no doubt—Li Qingran was breathtakingly beautiful.

Her hair flowed like cascading silk, her eyebrows delicate like distant mountains.

Her skin was as smooth as white jade, her figure—

Well, let’s just say even the most seductive demoness would be ashamed to stand next to her.

At first, his face burned and his heartbeat raced.

But then, he saw her condition.

And his rage ignited.

Li Qingran’s face was deathly pale, her body riddled with poisonous scorch marks from the alchemy flames.

Every inch of her skin bore burn wounds, a testament to the agonizing pain she had endured.

The formations were healing her, but the process was vicious—

She was being burned alive, over and over again, only to heal and burn again.

When his divine sense enveloped her, she was still kneeling inside the cauldron, maintaining a rigid, meditative posture.

Her hands cupped a clump of purified medicinal gel, formed from water-element Spiritual Qi, having finally expelled all impurities.

[So, this is what you called ‘Spiritual Purification’?]

Chen Huai’an immediately paid ¥66 to restore Li Qingran’s injuries while sending her a voice transmission.

[Why didn’t you tell me about this before?!]

Li Qingran slowly regained consciousness.

A surge of warm energy flowed through her body, repairing her scorched meridians.

Combined with the familiar presence of her master’s divine sense, she instantly realized what had happened.

He knew.

Everything she had kept hidden from him—

He had discovered it all.

Li Qingran lowered her head, biting her lip, suddenly at a loss for words.

[Speak.]

The sheer weight of his presence made her shudder, forcing her to finally stammer out an answer.

"Master… disciple never meant to deceive you.

I only wanted to help you.

The Hundred-Grass Detoxification Pill requires Spiritual Purification, but this process doesn’t actually harm me…"

The stern gaze lingering in the void did not fade.

Nor did it offer any response.

Li Qingran’s voice grew softer and softer, until, at last, she simply bowed her head, letting two silent tears fall to the ground.

"Master… I’m sorry…"

[Did it hurt?]

"Yes."

She didn’t dare lie anymore.

[Hmph!]

A robe fell before her, and the voice in the void softened slightly.

[Put on your clothes and wait inside the hut. I’ll deal with you later!]

Li Qingran shrank her neck slightly, quickly and carefully pouring the purified medicinal gel into a small porcelain bottle before dressing herself.

As she pulled on her robes, she suddenly realized something, and her face turned an even deeper shade of red.

A soft, delicate shyness flickered through the depths of her eyes.

Meanwhile, Chen Huai’an shifted his vision away from the cauldron.

Opening the map interface, he zoomed in on the two floating green dots in the sky.

Liu Yuanqing and Su Qinian, still standing awkwardly on the clouds, appeared at the center of his screen.

[Liu Yuanqing! Su Qinian!]

The moment his thunderous voice echoed across the void, both old men shuddered violently.

**[I entrusted Li Qingran to Sword Pavilion, hoping she could grow up happily, not so she could come here and be abused! I trusted you both completely—

And what did you do?

You threw my trust to the dogs?!]**

Su Qinian and Liu Yuanqing felt like they had just swallowed bitter herbs.

Didn’t Li Qingran say her master was on the verge of death, surrounded by great demons?

How the hell did he have the leisure to watch over Luoxia Peak?!

And even worse—how did he remotely destroy the entire defensive formation they painstakingly set up?!

Feeling the rising fury in the void, Liu Yuanqing hurriedly stepped forward.

"Senior, please calm your anger! There is a long explanation for this situation.

At least hear us out first—if you still find it unreasonable, you can punish us later!"

Chen Huai’an snorted coldly.

[Speak. I’m listening.]

—

[So, it’s because that bastard Zhou Xuanzi from Alchemy Sect refused to lend the cauldron, forcing Li Qingran to take this dangerous approach?]

Chen Huai’an’s eyes narrowed, his voice carrying the weight of six hundred thousand yuan’s worth of rage.

Liu Yuanqing and Su Qinian had explained everything—how they had no choice, how Li Qingran insisted on doing this, and how it was all for the sake of refining the Hundred-Grass Detoxification Pill.

"Senior, you can confirm this with Li Qingran herself." Liu Yuanqing cupped his hands.

"Everything we did was to help you, and this was her own decision."

"As a Sword Pavilion disciple, I shouldn’t have allowed Li Qingran to harm herself like this—this is my failure."

Su Qinian’s face was grim as he stepped back and bowed deeply toward the void.

"Senior, will you allow me some time?

I will disguise myself, infiltrate Alchemy Sect, and steal the cauldron!"

Chen Huai’an nearly burst out laughing.

[Is Sword Pavilion’s way of doing things nothing but sneaking around like thieves?]

Su Qinian’s face reddened, and he coughed awkwardly.

"That was my mistake. My skills are lacking, and I have embarrassed our sect in front of the ancestor…"

[A measly Alchemy Sect, and you’re treating them like some kind of untouchable force?!]

Chen Huai’an’s tone didn’t waver, not even for a moment.

With a grand flourish, he spread his arms wide—

Sixty thousand yuan coursing through his veins like the power of heaven itself.

Even his words shook the very clouds above Luoxia Peak—

**[Take the direct approach! Smash through the gates! Break their sect’s foundation!

Let them know—

When Sword Pavilion wants something, it should be delivered to Myriad Sword Peak immediately!]**

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